Gene Okerlund
Class of 2006 Eugene "Mean Gene" Arthur Okerlund (November 29, 1938 – January 2, 2019) was a American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and special occasional wrestler. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan. Career Okerlund would be a WWF interviewer for most of the 80's. In 1984, Okerlund and Hulk Hogan faced Mr. Fuji and George Steele in Minneapolis. He was supposed to stay on the apron and let Hogan fight, but when Hogan gave him a high-5, the referee mistook it for a tag. Okerlund had to go in, but before his opponent touched him, he quickly got out of the way and tagged Hogan back in. Okerlund ended up pinning Mr. Fuji for the victory. He then left years after. Okerlund then returned to WWF (renamed WWE in 2002), as a commentator for the Gimmick Battle Royal during WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001, along with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. He would go on to host WWE Confidential in 2002, which lasted for two years. Gene also hosts WWE Madison Square Garden Classics, a weekly series, airing on the MSG Network, featuring classic WWE matches that took place at Madison Square Garden from the last four decades. He's also the host for the WWE Classics On Demand Hall of Fame section, which takes a look at a different WWE Hall of Famer each month. Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006 by Hulk Hogan. In June 2008, Okerlund began hosting WWE Vintage Collection, a program which showcases archive footage from the extensive WWE video library. On April 4, 2009, the night before the 25th anniversary of WrestleMania, Okerlund inducted longtime WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel into the WWE Hall of Fame. On the June 7, 2010, edition of Raw, Okerlund appeared to help save Quinton Jackson, who was being held hostage by Ted Dibiase, Jr., Virgil, Irwin R. Schyster, and Roddy Piper. Okerlund conducted the interviews on the three-hour "Old School" episode of Raw on November 15, 2010, where he interviewed John Cena, Randy Orton, members of The Nexus and Mae Young in similar fashion as to how interviews were done in the 1980s. Okerlund also appeared in a few Old School merchandising segments, promoting WWE's new Old School merchandise line. Okerlund made an appearance at Wrestlemania XXVII in a segment with The Rock and Pee-wee Herman. On April 10, 2012, during the WWE Smackdown: Blast from the Past, Okerlund teamed with World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, in a winning effort, against the team of Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio. On December 17, 2012, during the WWE Raw, Gene Okerlund appeared alongside Jim Ross and Ricky The Dragon Steamboat to announce the winner of the Slammy Award for Match of the Year. External links * Gene Okerlund on Pro Wrestling Fandom * Gene Okerlund on Official WWE Wiki Category:Interviewers Category:Slammy Award Winners Category:WWE Hall Of Fame Category:People from Minnesota Category:Deceased